Why you really can't always believe what you read in the news…

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Deception news now in the Daily Star. Admittedly, that’s a phrase that could preface most of their articles, but this particular instance concerns the list of things your partner is lying to you about:

From cheating to orgasms – the biggest lies we tell our partners revealed

COUPLES reveal the worst bare-faced lies they’ve told their lover.

We’ve all told little white lies at times, but some people have been brave enough to share the sordid tall stories they’ve gotten away with.

According to a new survey, a whopping 75% of Brits admitted lying to their partners and one in 10 reckon they do it regularly – with men expected to tell the most porkies.

This is obviously great news, if you 1) live in one of those places, 2) are looking to sell your house, and 3) aren’t looking to then have to buy a place to live – because prices are apparently rising faster than wages, haven’t you heard?

Of course, this story is little more than a reminder that getting your foot on the property ladder is important, and for that you’ll need a bank or building society… like, perhaps, Halifax?

The average rise in house prices is outstripping the average rise in wages in a third of local authority districts, according to the report by Halifax…

Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said: ‘Buoyancy in the housing market over the past two to five years has resulted in homes increasing in value by more than total take-home earnings for the average homeowner in many areas, though mostly in southern England.

‘While it’s no longer unusual for houses to ‘earn’ more than the people living in them in some places, there are clearly local impacts.

“Homeowners in these areas can build up large levels of equity quickly, but for potential buyers whose wages have failed to keep pace, the cost of buying a home has become more unaffordable during that time.’

It’s pricey being a woman, clearly, with all of the aesthetic products the average woman is mandated to buy. However, the real crux of this article isn’t on make-up, but on a new health fad:

In a bid to encourage a healthy lifestyle and help combat the strains of using modern technology, Groupon has teamed up with face yoga expert Danielle Collins to create a unique and brand new fitness workout for the face.

You might wonder just how expensive this new fad is – fortunately, the originators of this piece can assure you there are ways to save money:

According to the survey by Groupon women spend on average £1,352 a year on looking after their appearance, equating to over £70,294 in their lifetime. The massive spend includes gym memberships, manicures and minor cosmetic procedures…

A Groupon spokesman said: “We’re always on the lookout for new trends and facial fitness is definitely something more people are becoming interested in.

“Our research shows that for those who already do yoga and see the benefits of it, they’re open to the idea of applying the same principles to exercise their face muscles. It’s quick, fun, and free – proving that keeping fit doesn’t have to break the bank.”

That’s Groupon, the discount website, who just might have discounts available for their new style of yoga, just maybe.

It might be the case that we’re working more hours than we ought to, but it seems unlikely that the Sun put much of their time into this one, as it’s essentially an advert for credit and finance comparison site Totally Money:

You can check exactly how much unpaid overtime you’re doing with the new calculator by TotallyMoney.com, which also conducted research around overtime in the UK.

Rather than a piece of broad-spectrum sociological research, this is a press release put out by a personal finance provider to highlight an interactive map tool they’ve created, and to generally get some publicity:

Provident Personal Credit asked 2,642 people on a scale from one to 10, how they felt about their local area encompassing eight separate factors from how clean and safe it felt, to how welcoming or gossipy the locals are.

Clearly we all want our homes to make a good impression, so it’s useful to see this list of things that we can do to make sure we’re not negatively-judged. That the list essentially breaks down to “keep your house clean, and then adopt these interior decorating styles” is no coincidence, given the source of the advice:

Interiors website My Domaine has carried out a survey of its users to find out the most common things people notice when they visit someone else’s house.

So if you don’t want your guests to judge you, I guess you better head over to My Domaine today, right?

Clearly having precisely the right kind of interior decor is important – making a poor decision, like opting for wood panelling, could lumber you with a property you simply can’t sell. So who can we thank for this important advice?

According to Bathrooms.com’s survey of 2,000 Brits, wood panelling is the design trend most likely to knock value off a property.

More specifically, 46 per cent of those taking part said they wouldn’t buy a property if it still had old fashioned wood panelling.

You might think it strange that Bathrooms.com would complain about wood panelling, which you’re unlikely to have in your bathroom. But putting a bathroom-related issue at number one would be a little too on-the-nose – however, at number two:

Avocado bathroom suites come next. The study calculated that an outdated avocado suite knock almost £5,000 off a property’s value.

Bathrooms estimates that approximately 1.2 per cent of the population still have an avocado bathroom suite – almost 325,000 across the country.

So when you’re done dealing with your wood panelling – which you probably don’t actually have – you know what to work on next, and who to turn to for help.

Important sociological research? Hardly – it’s an advert for a porn website:

The research was carried out my Pornhub to mark International Women’s Day on March 8.

That’s right, women, now you can have true equality – forget the wage gap, the porn gap has closed! So why not celebrate with a sly visit to Pornhub, eh ladies? That’s the purpose of this story, after all.

While there is doubtlessly some value to genuine researchers studying how different populations go about their sexual relations, it’s fair to say this isn’t that – this is PR-based market research to deliver an advert for a promotional voucher website:

The research, which was conducted by VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, was part of an ongoing study into Britons’s intimate lives.

House buying news now, with the report in the Mirror and the Daily Mail that the younger generation are increasingly taking loans from their grandparents to try to get deposits together as they aim to get on the property ladder:

The bank of gran and grandad helps first-time buyers: One in ten rely on their relatives to help them get onto the property ladder

Some eight per cent of first-time buyers rely on cash from their grandparents

Compares with 13 per cent of existing home owners asked family to help

On average people planning to buy first home expect it will take them five years

Nearly one in 10 aspiring first-time buyers are turning to the ‘bank of gran and grandad’ to help fund their deposit, a survey has found.

Admittedly, the Mirror’s coverage tips its hand a little, running the name of the company behind the story in the first paragraph after the headlines: Santander bank.

Miguel Sard, managing director of mortgages, Santander UK said: “Despite having to use alternative income streams over and above their salary – such as relying on the bank of gran and grandad – today’s first-time buyers are demonstrating resilience and determination to achieve their home ownership goals.”

While it’s almost certainly the case that millennials are having to borrow money from their elders – whose mortgages were more aligned to their income – it’s also the case that this story is just a way for Santander to advertise their services to first-time buyers.